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Rock Crawling the Sport That Defines Champions

February 14, 2024

THE FALKEN Tire Drift Showoff was a hit, to say the least. The event was held at Irwindale Motor Speedway on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. Thousands of people attended, which goes to show the outstanding marketing job that Falken Tire is doing to help make a difference in the tuner car movement. The company took it upon itself to give us a taste of what the Japanese market has been enjoying for so many years. Among the thousands of spectators, a healthy number of show cars showed up as well—and why wouldn’t they? This was an Import Showoff event, but this car show was a bit different from the norm. It was a JDM versus DTM show. In other words, Japanese against Euro. The cars that came out were very hot, with enough JDM and DTM on hand to kill you. All the heavy hitters and the big crews such as Team Hybrid, Flux, Tuningwerks Competition and Art-N-Motion came out to show their stuff. While this was a huge attraction, it was far from the main one.

ELECTRIFYING TWIN-TURBO 5.0-LITER

“From the very beginning, I’ve always raced this car,” Iida says. “In the past 11 years, I’ve put 10,000 miles on the odometer a quarter mile at a time.” Like most weekend warriors, Iida’s 5.0-liter Mustang started out life 100 percent bone stock. But with help from friends such as Honolulu Ford’s performance advisor Henry Tabios (a well-known island 5.0-liter racer in his own right), members of the Hawaii Ford Performance Club, Dillingham Automotive’s Glenn Aarake and Alan “Naka” Nakamura, Iida’s ghost-flamed Mustang GT has been transformed into a 9-second, street-legal twin-turbo terror, recording a best of 9.94 seconds at nearby Hawaii Raceway Park.

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Spotlighter

Truck Triumphs at the Triple Crown of Rodding 2023

Truck of The Year Winners for 2023 Sponsored by LMC Truck

Author

Jamie Dent

Photography by Scott Killeen & The Auto Builder Staff

In the world of rodding and customization, there are certain moments that stand out as big achievements—proof of how dedicated, creative, and skilled the builders can be. The first Triple Crown of Rodding show in 2023 is one of those moments, a big success that everyone in the car world will remember. It was organized by industry juggernauts, Bobby Alloway and Gary Case, and it brought together some of the best builders in the business, like Roy Brizio, Art Morrison, Troy Trepanier, Chip Foose, and Alan Johnson just to name a few! Car fans from all over the country came to the Nashville Superspeedway to celebrate automotive craftsmanship and meet the people who made these amazing cars.

Trucks have become highly coveted in the collector and custom market, as exemplified by their impressive showing at TCOR. LMC Truck sponsored the Truck of the Year award for three categories: 1972 and under, 1973-1987, and 1988-1998. Among the showcased vehicles, these three stand out as the absolute best: the recipients of the TCOR Truck of the Year Award.

The TCOR 2023 Truck of the Year: up to 1972

The TCOR 2023 Truck of the Year (up to 1972) was easily awarded to Rod Parsons. This 1967 Chevy C10 race truck with blinkers was built by ZRODZ and Customs of Knox, IN, along with Fiber Forged Composites. It’s a real monocoque body! Mr. Parsons also took home the Ringbrothers builders award from Mike Ring.

The TCOR 2023 Truck of the Year: 1973–1987

Ricky Holly’s 1979 unibody C10 Chevy “Lolita” won the TCOR 2023 Best Truck (73-87) category. Built by Dru Custom Designs along with Alamo Customs and MTI Automotive Designs.

The TCOR 2023 Truck of the Year: 1988–1998

LMC sponsored TCOR 2023 award winner for the Truck of the Year (88-98) is Chris Echel’s 1997 Chevrolet “OBS Killa” by BackYard Kustoms of Greenville, NC. His “styling concept” starts with Phantom wheels from U.S. Mags. This one had Gary Case grinning ear-to-ear.

What We Spotted at the LMC Truck Booth

With decades of experience in providing high-quality automotive parts and accessories for trucks and SUVs, LMC Truck is a renowned name in the industry. They cater to classic pickup restoration and modern truck enhancement needs, earning trust through their commitment to customer satisfaction and product quality. LMC Truck’s dedication extends to innovation, introducing cutting-edge upgrades, stylish accessories, and solutions for common maintenance issues, ensuring truck enthusiasts always have access to the latest advancements in truck technology and design.

Here’s a selection of products that we spotted at the TCOR show.